Crackdown on Annulments

The Catholic Church is starting to reevaluate the strictness of the annulment process. With the high divorce rate in the United States the number of Catholics requesting annulments has increased as well. What concerns the Catholic Church especially in the United States is that the two thirds of the annulments that are given out by the Church are being given out in the United States where the Catholic population makes up only six percent of the total Catholic population. The concern that the Church has on the issue of annulments is a valid concern since that over half of the annulments of the whole Church are being given out to such a small fraction of the total Catholic population. The fact of the matter is that I believe the Church should reevaluate when it gives out annulments because the sacrament of marriage is something that should be treated seriously and it needs to work with couples that are looking to get an annulment to see whether or not there are ways to reconcile. I understand there are obvious cases where annulment is necessary such as cases of abuse or where there is harm to both parties. The Church needs to continue to reassert the seriousness of the commitment of marriage in a society where marriage is treated as something not necessarily permanent.

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Permanent link to this article: http://sites.nd.edu/leprechaun/2012/05/02/crackdown-on-annulments/